Rule Changes

There are a few changes to the mechanics of the game, whether to make unattractive options more attractive, overpowered options less overpowering, or to make some of the existing mechanics fit the setting better.

We'll be playing with a few changes, mostly to make multiclassing less painful.

• Classes with a a 3/4 Base Attack Bonus (i.e., classes whose Base Attack Bonus starts at +0) are considered to grant +0.75 points of BAB per level; sum the total BAB granted by all classes, and then round down.
• When multiclassing into a class, you may choose to gain Skill Training in one of their class skills instead of gaining one of their starting feats.

• The Armored Defense talent no longer exists; everyone gains its benefits, as described below.

There are a few skills that just aren't useful enough to be worth taking, and so are combined to make them more attractive.

• Climb, Jump, and Swim are all combined into a single Athletics skill.
  • Any class that has access to any one of Climb, Jump or Swim has access to Athletics.
• Ride is not a skill; instead, Acrobatics is used for all purposes Ride would be used for.
• Gather Information is not a skill; instead, Persuasion is used for all purposes Gather Information would be used for.

• In each case, bonuses and abilities that only affect one skill still only affect those specific applications of a combined skill. For example, a feat that allows you reroll Swim checks would let you reroll Athletics checks made to swim, but not Athletics checks made to jump.
• Any class that had any one of the above skills as a class skill has its combined version as a class skill. For example, Scouts can select Acrobatics as a class skill, because Ride has been rolled into it.

Skill Focus is just plain too good at low levels, but also falls behind in usefulness at higher levels.

• Skill Focus grants a bonus equal to half your character level, rounded up.

I'm fine with Armor not being particularly desirable without feat/talent investment, but RAW it's actually detrimental to high-level characters, which seems kind of silly.

• When calculating your Reflex Defense, you may add either your Heroic Level or your Armor bonus, whichever is higher. You must be proficient with the Armor you are wearing to gain this benefit.

Resisting (or embracing) the Dark Side is an important theme of the campaign, and the following rules should make flirting with it more attractive - and falling to it more frightening.

• Your Dark Side Score is a secret known only to me. I will not tell you when it increases, other than when you gain a free Dark Side power (see below) and if/when you become fully Dark.
• Minor, Moderate, and Major transgressions will be interpreted rather liberally, but they often will not increase your Dark Side Score - and will occasionally increase it by more than 1 point:
  • Minor: Minor transgressions increase your Dark Side Score by 1d6-5, to a minimum of 0.
  • Moderate: Moderate transgressions increase your Dark Side Score by 1d6-4, to a minimum of 0.
  • Major: Major transgressions increase your Dark Side Score by 1d4-2, to a minimum of 0.
• Characters with the Force Sensitivity feat have the following additional effects:
  • As long as your Dark Side Score is less than your Wisdom, you can increase your Dark Side Score by 1d3-1 to gain a temporary Force Point. If this Force Point is not used before the end of the encounter, it is lost.
  • You get a free Dark Side power of the GM's choice added to your Force Power suite upon gaining a Dark Side Score of 2, and every time your Dark Side Score doubles after that (4,8,16).
  • If you ever become fully Dark (Dark Side Score equals your Wisdom), you suffer the following penalties:
    • You are unable to use Light Side Force powers.
    • You are unable to benefit from positive Light Side Force powers.
    • You take a -5 penalty to any Use the Force check that isn't at least a Minor transgression.

There are three methods of reducing your Dark Side Score:

• If you are not yet dark and you have at least one Force Point left upon gaining a level, you can choose to reduce your Dark Side score by 1d3-1.
• If you are not yet dark, you can spend a Destiny point at any time to reduce your Dark Side score by 1d6-1
• If you perform an act of Dramatic Heroism as described in the Core Rulebook, your Dark Side Score drops to 1. If you were fully Dark, you also lose all of your Force Points.
  • I will not go out of my way to give you opportunities to be Dramatically Heroic, but if any of you ever become Dark, I will alert you to opportunities that do arise.

In an effort to give different Force traditions more of an identity, I've sorted the Force powers into different groups, limiting access to the whole list. Also, some minor nerfs and clarifications for a few powers that bothered me.

• Drain Energy: An active Lightsaber that is targeted by Drain Energy remains active, but it cannot be reactivated once it is turned off.
• Force Lightning: Because it being a Dark Side power isn't a balancing factor anymore (plus it was maybe a little too good anyway), it's been reworked a bit, as described here.
• Force Storms: Because there are two powers called Force Storm, the one from the Jedi Academy Training Manual has been renamed Force Tempest.
• Kinetic Combat: Kinetic Combat works with thrown weapons (such as discblades) in addition to melee weapons.
  • It doesn't make the weapon reusable if it isn't naturally; an energy ball would still be destroyed on a successful hit.
• Lightsaber Forms: Lightsaber Form powers don't inherently require a lightsaber; for most of them, any melee weapon will work.
  • Barrier of Blades, Circle of Shelter, Deflecting Slash, Pass the Blade, Shien Deflection, and Unbalancing Block all still require a lightsaber.
• Move Object: The damage of Move Object is limited by the size of the object thrown (for example, Large objects always deal 4d6 damage). There may be some exceptions for particularly light or particularly heavy objects.
  • As an exception, the damage increase for spending a Force Point or a Destiny Point are always included, regardless of the size of the object.
• Vital Transfer: We will be using the Vital Sacrifice variant rule for Vital Transfer.

Most Force powers have been assigned additional descriptors, which may be referenced or interacted with by some new feats and abilities. The full list of descriptors and the powers that have them are given below.

Powers marked with an asterisk are Exotic, and cannot be selected without use of the Exotic Force User feat or another ability that specifically grants access to them.

Alter Powers

• Combustion*
• Cryokinesis*
• Dark Transfer*
• Drain Energy
• Fold Space*
• Force Blast
• Force Lightning
• Force Scream
• Force Stun
• Force Tempest*
• Ionize*
• Lightning Burst
• Malacia
• Plant Surge*
• Rend
• Technometry*
• Vital Transfer
• Wound

Control Powers

• Battle Strike
• Cloak*
• Convection*
• Crucitorn
• Dark Rage
• Energy Resistance
• Enhance Body
• Inertia
• Morichro
• Negate Energy
• Phase*
• Resist Force
• Surge

Sense Powers

• Enlighten
• Farseeing
• Fear
• Force Track*
• Hatred
• Inspire
• Prescience
• Shatterpoint*
• Valor

Telekinetic Powers

• Ballistakinesis
• Blind
• Detonate
• Force Disarm
• Force Grip
• Force Shield*
• Force Slam
• Force Storm*
• Force Thrust
• Force Whirlwind*
• Intercept
• Kinetic Combat*
• Levitate
• Move Object
• Repulse
• Slow
• Stagger

Mind-Affecting Powers

• Enlighten
• Fear
• Memory Walk*
• Mind Shard
• Mind Trick
• Obscure
• Thought Bomb*

Light Side Powers

• Enlighten
• Force Light*
• Inspire
• Malacia
• Sever Force*
• Valor
• Vital Transfer

Dark Side Powers

• Corruption
• Dark Rage
• Dark Transfer*
• Fear
• Force Lightning
• Force Scream
• Force Storm*
• Force Tempest*
• Hatred
• Lightning Burst
• Memory Walk*
• Rend
• Wound

Lightsaber Form Powers

• Assured Strike*
• Barrier of Blades
• Circle of Shelter
• Contentious Opportunity
• Deflecting Slash
• Disarming Slash
• Draw Closer
• Falling Avalanche
• Fluid Riposte
• Hawk-Bat Swoop
• High Ground Defense
• Makashi Riposte
• Pass the Blade*
• Pushing Slash
• Rising Whirlwind*
• Saber Swarm
• Sarlacc Sweep
• Shien Deflection
• Swift Flank*
• Tempered Aggression*
• Twin Strike*
• Unbalancing Block*
• Unhindered Charge
• Vornskr's Ferocity*

Not really a "change," but it's worth noting given how I've split Force Sensitivity into several feats: anyone capable of selecting any Force talents can also select talents from the Light Side, Dark Side, or Guardian Spirit Force talent trees (though they still must have a Dark Side Score of 0 to select Light Side talents, or 1 or higher to select Dark Side talents).

A character may have no more than 3 Destiny Points at a time, and may only spend a maximum of 1 Destiny Point in a single encounter.

Also, I just wanted to note: I am aware of the shenanigans one can get up to by fully exploiting abilities to move enemies down the condition track. I have no specific fixes planned or even considered, and by all means, if you want to make a build that focuses on it go for it. Just know that if things ever get to a point where they seem abusive, I may step in and adjust the way some abilities stack… or I may just start using them against you, too.

I will let you automatically retrain any abilities I nerf mid-game.